Newer model digital cameras have included a “panorama” feature, which allows a user of the digital camera to capture multiple adjacent images that are “stitched” together into a single image at a later time. In order for a stitching algorithm to succeed, there needs to be a substantial overlap between adjacent images so that the stitching algorithm can find features common between the two adjacent images.
The most common existing solutions for providing image alignment feedback to the user consist of one of two techniques. The first technique displays a portion of the previously captured image (usually 33% or 50% of the previous image) adjacent to a reduced-size liveview image. This technique requires the liveview image to be reduced in size, meaning that fewer visual features will be available to the user. This technique is used in Canon digital camera models S30, S40, and S45.
A second technique is to overlay a portion of the previous image opaquely over a full-screen liveview image. While this approach does not reduce the liveview image, it conceals up to half of the liveview by obstructing a substantial portion of the previous image. The disadvantage of this approach is that the user is unable to see any changes in the image composition that takes place in the portion of the liveview image that is obstructed by the overlaid previous image.